Fireplaces are generally constructed of brick or stone on the exterior of a metallic fire box and the fire box is conventionally lined with fire brick. The fireplace itself is logically the most likely area for needed repairs over the years, but unfortunately it is not the only part of the fireplace - chimney combination which deteriorates over time and needs repair.
Chimneys are ordinarily constructed of masonry and lined with a specific ceramic, pumice or castable lining material in two feet sections or a monolithical cast.
Problems occur when cracks form in the chimney lining due to mortar decay, foundation settling or thermal destruction of the chimney caused from high temperatures produced from a chimney fire or simply imperfections in the lining or masonry chimney wall. For whatever reason, cracks and breaks in the lining of the chimney wall can cause problems because the cracks allow the leakage of smoke and hot gases from the chimney through the lining into areas not designed to withstand the heat and mildly corrosive atmosphere of the gaseous exhaust from the fire box.
There is no real problem in repairing the chimney lining where the worker can reach the break from below, from within the fireplace or from above while standing on the roof and leaning into the chimney. Where the break is out of reach of the repair person, to do a competent job of repair, the repair person often must dismantle the chimney itself to reach the break. As would be expected, the disassembly and reassembly of a chimney is an expensive proposition.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,674,117 illustrates a mortar spreader by a worker which has a pivotable trowel on the remote end of a handle. Grout is supported on the upper surface of the trowel. The worker stands adjacent the wall to be covered by grout as the trowel is lifted.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,090,984 discloses a smoothing trowel to be used by a worker who is smoothing plaster on the ceiling of a room. The angle of the trowel with respect to the handle supporting the same is manipulable by the worker from his location on the floor of the room by a lever and rod combination.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,796 discloses a trowel on the end of an elongated handle used by a worker to smooth the plaster on a ceiling while the worker stands on the floor of the room.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,492,000 discloses chimney cleaning apparatus using an elongated rod to manipulate the cleaning tool. The rod includes a plurality of segments threaded together to lengthen the rod where desirable.
There is a strong need in the industry for a process and apparatus to allow a worker to fill cracks and breaks inside a chimney with appropriate grout from a location remote from the break itself. Thereby, the chimney lining may be repaired without having to dismantle the whole chimney to accomplish the necessary repairs.